Balance is such an important concept. It keeps you healthy, happy, and able to move forward. It's a core theme in the Star Wars universe, where the light side cannot exist without the dark side and vice versa. There's no shortage of stories about how the Force consists of both light and dark, and how removing one sends the galaxy into chaos. Absolute literal and metaphysical chaos.

This contest? Is all Dark Side, all the time!

Your assignment is to build a Dark Side character from Star Wars. Do you like Sith? Nightsisters? The Inquisitorius? Plain ol' Dark Jedi? How about something more regimented like a Stormtrooper or a Droideka? And let's not forget the seedy underbelly of the galaxy - bounty hunters, crime lords, or even a corrupt politician could all be fair game. This is your contest! Build your best Dark Sider out of constraction elements and bring a little more evil into the galaxy - or at least Virginia.

What's that last part? That's right, this is contest is our annual BrickFair Virginia tie-in! The finalists will be asked to send their MOCs on the convention circuit so the final voting can be held at one of the largest LEGO fan conventions in America. In fact, everyone is welcome and encouraged to send their entries to show off at the show, where they will receive a suitably Dark Side escort. A part of that escort may even follow you home in additional to the other perks you get on the circuit. It's a good time to be bad!

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You have from now until Monday, July 10 at 11:59 PM ET to submit your entries. To submit your entries, just use this handy form. Only one entry per person, please.

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Voting:

Preliminary Voting begins July 11 and ends July 15 at 11:59 P.M. ET.
Final Voting begins August 5 and ends August 6 at 11:59 P.M. ET.
The contest winner and final voting results will be posted in a separate thread on August 8.

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Rules:

1) Entries may not have been posted on BZPower prior to the start of the contest. It can be posted anywhere else before the contest, but it must never have been seen before on BZPower. Once entered, entries cannot be modified: you're committed to what you've entered. If you withdraw your entry, you cannot enter again that contest. If your entry is disqualified, you cannot enter again that contest.

2) Painted parts, non-LEGO parts, and parts edited in Photoshop are not permitted and will disqualify you. All other LEGO pieces are permitted, but the entry must be at least 75% Bionicle/Hero Factory/Technic.

3) Keep it clean, keep it civil. No flaming, no whining. Unsporting conduct will just get you disqualified.

4) Campaigning for votes (mass-PMing, etc), using multiple accounts to skew voting, and sundry other methods of cheating are only going to end in tears for you. Trust us: we'll know when you're doing it.

Everyone who sends their entry to BrickFair Virginia will receive a random Star Wars buildable figure. Please note, these figures will likely already be assembled and may be missing some small parts as they will have been used to augment the display.

I want to preface this by saying I very much appreciate all the work that goes into running BZP's contests.

But this is the third Star Wars contest we've had in recent times (after BBCC 72 and the Build With The Force contest, which had a far more open theme than this contest and still only managed to garner five entries).

I want to preface this by saying I very much appreciate all the work that goes into running BZP's contests.

But this is the third Star Wars contest we've had in recent times (after BBCC 72 and the Build With The Force contest, which had a far more open theme than this contest and still only managed to garner five entries).

I second this. As much as I enjoy star wars, I have to admit that appeal for the theme isn't very popular comparatively to BIONICLE on these forums, for obvious reasons. I like variety in contest themes as much as the next guy, but keeping things primarily to BIONICLE is probably most reasonable.

Not to mention I myself am not as involved in star wars to really care about making a MOC.

If we are already planning to attend BrickFair Virginia and would like to submit a MoC for this theme, can we bring our MoC in person as opposed to shipping it?

-Mesonak

Yep, that's perfectly fine.

Is sending the moc on the circuit a must, or optional?

If you make it past the preliminary round of voting and wish to be in the final poll, you must send your creation to BrickFair Virginia.

I want to preface this by saying I very much appreciate all the work that goes into running BZP's contests.

But this is the third Star Wars contest we've had in recent times (after BBCC 72 and the Build With The Force contest, which had a far more open theme than this contest and still only managed to garner five entries).

It's really been a sequence of coincidences that has resulted in three Star Wars contests. First, LEGO gave BZPower Star Wars sets signed by the designers, so of course it made sense to give them away as contest prizes. Then LEGO sent us a pallet of Star Wars sets (and one of Bionicle) as a, 'we're sorry we canceled Bionicle gift.' We tried to come up with an activity to use them and thought trying a contest with a Star Wars fansite might be cool (jury is still out on that). Now, LEGO reached out to BZPower to offer us some of the more recent Star Wars sets if we could come up with an appropriate activity to use them. So another Star Wars contest it is.

If you're not a Star Wars fan, I understand where this might be a pain. But over that same time I think we've had at least double that number of non-Star Wars contests. I think the fact of the matter is that while Star Wars is the only active constraction theme, you're going to see Star Wars-themed activities because that's part of how we get free stuff to give you guys. We will keep the feedback in mind though, and try to be more creative or general in the future.

If we are already planning to attend BrickFair Virginia and would like to submit a MoC for this theme, can we bring our MoC in person as opposed to shipping it?

-Mesonak

Yep, that's perfectly fine.

Is sending the moc on the circuit a must, or optional?

If you make it past the preliminary round of voting and wish to be in the final poll, you must send your creation to BrickFair Virginia.

I want to preface this by saying I very much appreciate all the work that goes into running BZP's contests.

But this is the third Star Wars contest we've had in recent times (after BBCC 72 and the Build With The Force contest, which had a far more open theme than this contest and still only managed to garner five entries).

It's really been a sequence of coincidences that has resulted in three Star Wars contests. First, LEGO gave BZPower Star Wars sets signed by the designers, so of course it made sense to give them away as contest prizes. Then LEGO sent us a pallet of Star Wars sets (and one of Bionicle) as a, 'we're sorry we canceled Bionicle gift.' We tried to come up with an activity to use them and thought trying a contest with a Star Wars fansite might be cool (jury is still out on that). Now, LEGO reached out to BZPower to offer us some of the more recent Star Wars sets if we could come up with an appropriate activity to use them. So another Star Wars contest it is.

If you're not a Star Wars fan, I understand where this might be a pain. But over that same time I think we've had at least double that number of non-Star Wars contests. I think the fact of the matter is that while Star Wars is the only active constraction theme, you're going to see Star Wars-themed activities because that's part of how we get free stuff to give you guys. We will keep the feedback in mind though, and try to be more creative or general in the future.

Alas, then I'll have to be skipping this one.

I'm actually adding my voice to the pro-Star Wars contest side here. I have just the idea for what kind of MOC I'd make, but being based in Europe kinda puts sending it to the USA out of the question, so another SW themed contest without that requirement would be much appreciated sometime in the future

I just found the first two Lego Star Wars games at a Goodwill the other day, so I'm in a good mood for this one. Trying to think of what I could do that would be Dark Side themed... I know I'm good at designing guns and weapons. I was thinking about doing one of the members of Delta Squad from Republic Commando with their fancy modular blasters... hrm.

They do not have to be canon, or even Legends, anything Star Wars is fine, as long as it fits the theme of Dark Side. So you can create your own Sith Lord or Dark Jedi or what-have-you. So your picture is fine. If you're not sure though, ask Tufi or me first so we can avoid having to disqualify anyone.